THE Philippines ranked third among six Southeast Asian markets in consumer trust in technology, with digital payments emerging as the country’s most trusted category even as consumers showed a sharp gap between familiarity and actual use, according to the Southeast Asia Consumer Tech Trust Score 2026 by Vero and Kadence International.
The Philippines recorded an average Tech Trust Score of 75.3, behind Indonesia at 76.4 and Vietnam at 75.7, and ahead of Malaysia at 74.8, Singapore at 69.9 and Thailand at 69.3.
The study, released July 30, surveyed more than 3,000 consumers across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It examined trust, familiarity, usage, adoption intentions, sources of trust and consumer responses when technology companies experience serious incidents.
The Philippines’ strongest technology category was digital payments, which recorded a Tech Trust Score of 81.8, according to the report’s regional comparison. Online banking followed at 81.4, while messaging apps scored 79.6, ride-hailing and delivery 75.0, telecommunications 76.9, e-commerce 75.9, cybersecurity 74.2 and cloud storage 71.7.
Social media scored 69.4, while generative AI was the country’s weakest category at 67.3.
The study distinguishes these Tech Trust Scores from percentage-based findings on usage, familiarity and other consumer responses. The scores are derived from respondents’ five-point trust ratings and converted to a scale of zero to 100.
Digital payments lead PH trust
Digital payments stood out as a particularly important category for Pinoy consumers.
The Philippines had the highest familiarity with digital payments at 78 percent among the six markets, ahead of Malaysia at 74 percent and Indonesia at 71 percent. However, only 30 percent of Philippine respondents reported using digital payments daily, the lowest daily-use rate among the six markets.
The report described this as a familiarity-to-usage gap that was nearly twice the regional average.
Despite the lower daily-use rate, digital payments were highly trusted in the Philippines, with a Tech Trust Score of 81.8. Regionwide, digital payments had a score of 80.4, second only to online banking at 81.7.
The category also has strong growth potential in the Philippines. Eighty-nine percent of Philippine respondents said they were likely to increase their use of digital payments in the next 12 months, matching Vietnam and trailing only Indonesia at 91 percent.
High usage does not guarantee trust
The Philippine findings also illustrate one of the study’s central conclusions: frequent technology use does not automatically translate into stronger consumer trust.
Messaging apps were used daily by 92 percent of Philippine respondents, the highest rate among the six markets. The Philippines also recorded the highest daily social media usage at 88 percent.
Despite this widespread use, social media’s Philippine Tech Trust Score was only 69.4, well below online banking and digital payments.
The regional study found that messaging apps had a daily usage rate of 79.8 percent and social media 79.3 percent across the six markets. Social media’s regional Trust Score was 67.8.
The findings suggest that technology platforms can become deeply embedded in consumers’ daily routines even when confidence in them remains comparatively fragile, particularly where concerns involve misinformation, data use, content safety and platform accountability.
Generative AI presents another version of the trust gap in the Philippines. The country had the highest familiarity with Gen AI at 50 percent, while its Tech Trust Score was only 67.3, the lowest among Philippine technology categories measured in the study.
Across the region, Gen AI had the lowest Tech Trust Score at 66.3 and ranked last in four of the six markets. Yet 71 percent of all respondents said they were likely to increase their Gen AI use during the next 12 months. Indonesia led at 86 percent, followed by Vietnam at 81 percent.
Regulation matters to PH consumers
The study also found that Philippine consumers place considerable weight on government oversight when deciding whether to trust a technology company.
Twenty-three percent of Pinoy respondents identified government approval and compliance as the strongest proof that a technology company, product or system could be trusted. The figure was higher in Singapore at 36 percent and Malaysia at 28 percent.
Indonesia differed from the other markets, with 43 percent of respondents identifying a proven track record and few incidents as the strongest trust signal. In Thailand and Vietnam, clear, plain-language explanations of data use were selected by 26 percent in each market.
The report said transparency was the strongest overall proof of trustworthiness across the six markets, ranking ahead of regulation, certifications and data control.
Data breaches could drive users away
The local market also showed a relatively low tolerance for serious technology failures involving personal data.
Personal data misuse was the top technology-related concern across the region, selected by 49.2 percent of respondents. Online scams and fraud appeared among the top three concerns for 78.9 percent of respondents.
Following a serious data breach, 56 percent of Philippine respondents said they would quit using the affected service immediately, the highest figure among the six markets. Malaysia followed at 50 percent and Singapore at 48 percent.
By comparison, 54 percent of Indonesian respondents and 49 percent of Vietnamese respondents said they would give companies a second chance, pausing use until the issue was resolved.
The findings were particularly significant for financial technology. Regionwide, online banking and digital payments were the most trusted categories but were also among the services consumers would be quickest to abandon after a serious incident, at 33 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
Consumers still want more technology
Despite these concerns, Pinoys remain willing to adopt and increase their use of technology.
The study found that 59 percent of Philippine respondents would be encouraged to try a new technology or feature if it offered a clear and practical benefit to their daily lives. This was higher than the overall finding that half of respondents were primarily motivated by practical benefits.
The report said strong reviews or expert recommendations ranked second overall as an adoption trigger, while government endorsement and brand marketing ranked lower.
For technology companies, the Philippine findings point to a market where trust and adoption can coexist with significant consumer scrutiny.
“Usage is an important signal, but it is not a complete measure of trust,” said Ashutosh Awasthi, director at Kadence International. “The trust-usage gap reveals a more complex relationship between consumers and technology.”
The report said companies should make safeguards visible through clear consent processes, plain-language explanations of data use, visible security measures and accessible support channels.
For the Philippines, it specifically identified government approval and compliance as an important trust signal, while emphasizing that consumer trust across Southeast Asia varies by market.
The study’s broader findings indicate that Philippine consumers are both highly engaged with technology and highly sensitive to how companies handle risk, accountability and data. Digital payments and online banking command strong confidence, but the willingness to abandon services after serious incidents shows that high trust also brings higher expectations.
“Consumers need to hear unbiased analysis from credible third parties to restore trust,” said Konwika Fikaew, vice president for Tech Comms at Vero.